Editors' Top Camcorders
updated June 5, 2006

You've heard all the hype about the digital video revolution and how it could make you the local Spielberg. But what if you just want to make a nice-looking home video and call it a day? These digital camcorders offer good image quality and lots of useful features without giving you more video power than you'll need to shoot the next holiday gathering or Little League game. -- Lori Grunin, senior editor

Editors' Top Camcorders:

Budget camcorders |

Home-movie camcorders

| Pro and semipro camcorders | Compact camcorders | Prosumer camcorders

Home-movie camcorders

Camcorders	Editors' rating	Price	Summary
Sony Handycam HDR-HC3 Released: 03/11/2006	7.6 Very good	$1499	Though significantly cheaper than Sony's previous consumer HD camcorder, the Sony Handycam HDR-HC3 still offers superb HD video quality. Specs: Camcorder , ClearVid CMOS , 10 x, Mini DV (HDV) , 19.8 oz

Sony Handycam DCR-PC1000 Released: 04/15/2005	7.6 Very good	Email me when product is available	Attractive and compact, the Sony Handycam DCR-PC1000 MiniDV camera offers excellent image quality for its class and brings CMOS technology to the world of camcorders. But its overly clever user interface doesn't do its feature set justice. Specs: Camcorder , 3CMOS , 10 x, Mini DV , 0.9 lbs

Sony Handycam DCR-DVD505 Released: 01/19/2006	7.5 Very good	$699	Full-featured but somewhat bulky, the Sony Handycam DCR-DVD505 DVD camcorder matches its MiniDV competitors in most areas, while offering the convenience of direct-to-disc recording. Specs: Camcorder , CMOS , 10 x, DVD-R (8cm) , DVD+RW (8cm) , DVD-RW (8 cm) , 1.1 lbs

Panasonic VDR-D300 Released: 03/08/2006	7.3 Very good	$449-$799 from 2 stores	Rivaling its MiniDV competitors in a variety of shooting conditions, the Panasonic VDR-D300 doesn't force you to compromise video quality for the convenience of shooting directly on DVD. Specs: Camcorder , 3CCD , 10 x, DVD-R (8cm) , DVD-RW (8 cm) , DVD-RAM (8 cm) , 20.6 oz

Sony Handycam DCR-DVD203 Released: 02/08/2005	7.3 Very good	Email me when product is available	The Sony Handycam DCR-DVD203 is a solid performer with many of the features that impressed us in the more expensive DCR-DVD403. Specs: Camcorder , Advanced HAD CCD , 12 x, DVD-R (8cm) , DVD+RW (8cm) , DVD-RW (8 cm) , 0.9 lbs

Sony Handycam DCR-DVD405 Released: 01/19/2006	7.1 Very good	$599	The Sony Handycam DCR-DVD405 is a solid DVD camcorder, as long as you don't mind fiddling with a touch-screen interface on a too-small display. Specs: Camcorder , Advanced HAD CCD , 10 x, DVD-R (8cm) , DVD+RW (8cm) , DVD-RW (8 cm) , 2.05 megapixels, 1.3 lbs

Sony Handycam DCR-HC96 Released: 01/19/2006	7.1 Very good	$1199	Excellent video quality, a broad feature set, and decent photos make the Sony Handycam DCR-HC96 an excellent choice for those seeking a compact MiniDV camcorder. Navigating the small touch screen may encourage you to stick with its automatic features, however. Specs: Camcorder , Advanced HAD CCD , 10 x, Mini DV , 2.05 megapixels, 1.1 lbs

Panasonic PV-GS500 Released: 02/12/2006	6.8 Good	$1299	While its predecessor had prosumer aspirations, the Panasonic PV-GS500 is strictly for casual videographers who want top-notch video on autopilot. Specs: Camcorder , 3CCD , 12 x, Mini DV